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Sliders can be soft foods like ice cream, yogurt, custard, etc. For many of us, other foods are sliders, too. Mostly junk food! Popcorn slides, as do things like chips or crunchy Cookies. Anything you can chew into tiny little bits that doesn't swell when it hits the stomach (not meat, bread, rice, Pasta, etc.) is a slider food. The best thing to do when you first start out is to stop that pylorus up with your dense Protein first - there's more than one reason eating protein first is a good thing! Doing this prevents you from overeating your other foods because the dense meat will take a while to digest. Sliders are an issue when you have an eating problem (like overeating, bingeing or emotional eating) and especially when you don't track every bite you put in your mouth. It's easy to "forget" to record several hundred calories if you graze all day. And to answer the original post, you'll find an increased capacity to the point where you eat mostly normally around 6-9 months and you'll reach your "forever" capacity sometime between 9-15 months. I'm nearly two years out (21 months) and I still eat very small amounts compared to people without surgery. It takes real work to stretch a sleeve. Not just overindulging once in a while - it takes eating to the point of pain and sickness repeatedly to stretch the stomach out and it's still never going to be even half of what it once was. ~Cheri

Sorry to say but I'm pretty sure the verdict is that it's purely genetics and that there is very little we can do to combat loose skin. Some of us get more of it than others. It seems keeping the skin moisturized helps a bit and that exercise really does work wonders. I had twins prior to surgery and there was no way I was going to avoid loose skin - I had a bunch of it before surgery and it's even worse now. I started wearing shapewear full time (except in my PJs!) when I was down about forty pounds and noticed that my apron flopped when I did jumping jacks. Well, I won't lie - sometimes I still hate the loose skin. But I can hide the skin with undergarments and I couldn't hide being fat. I'd rather wear shapewear every day for the rest of my life than weigh more than 200 pounds again! I will get plastics eventually but in the meantime I use some heavy duty shapewear - Spanx do not cut it for me. I use an extra-firm waist cincher by Rago Shapewear in conjunction with a longline bra and it works wonders. If I'm wearing a skirt or a dress I use a high-waisted open bottom girdle, usually something sexy from What Katie Did. I find that since I need super-duper shaping and I have a natural hourglass figure that I'm happiest using things that are old-fashioned 40s and 50s style undergarments. They're beautiful, sexy AND functional. They cost a pretty penny but work miracles. Spanx do not work as well for me. I do like the toning camisoles from Maidenform (Fat Free Dressing or Flexees) for layering, however. They have a nice long line and work better at taming my tummy than other brands. I wear them over my waspie or waist cincher, though. ~Cheri

Congrats! You'll make it to goal, no worries. Keep at it and the weight will continue to fall off. I love Dr. Aceves! ~Cheri

I'm a complete lightweight now but I don't have any issues like what you're describing. Actually, now that I think on it, my reaction to the tannins in wine is more pronounced since surgery and I've been totally unable to drink any wine, white or red, since surgery or I break out in hives. No worries there, though, because I never cared much for wine in the first place. I regularly drink a mixed drink or two (or three...okay, sometimes four) on the weekends and have no problems, other than being pretty tipsy pretty quickly. Record those calories, though, or you'll be sorry! I will say that you definitely need to be careful about your limits if you do start drinking. My tolerance is MUCH lower now and I can get drunk very fast if I'm not careful. I also sober up quickly, though, so it's all a trade-off! ~Cheri

I have five stepkids that don't live with me (at the time of surgery they were 20, 17, 15, 12, 11) and twins that were 2.5 at the time of surgery. I didn't tell any of them prior to surgery. They all knew I was going to see the doctor and have surgery but nobody asked for more details and I didn't offer them up. Around four months out we had a visit with the older kids. They noticed I'd lost weight and that I eat less but weren't overly concerned. At this point, 21 months out, the only child I've told is the one that is now 18 and that's only because she was with us for a four month visit and brought up the fact that I eat very small portions. When I noticed she was trying to keep up with my eating habits (only eating a few bites here and there) I confided in her because I didn't want her to start eating less simply because I do. I actually had to sit her down and show her how I track my calories (and how she can, too) so she would know that I am eating a healthy amount of food and so we could be sure she was, too. I don't know that you need to tell the little one anything much beyond the basics. Let her lead and if she persists in asking for details make the decision on whether to tell more or not. My two are now more curious about the scars on my stomach than anything else. They know I don't eat that much and it doesn't phase them a bit. If anything, it's helped them eat in moderation - if they're no longer hungry they'll mimic my behavior and push the plate away and say "No, I'm not really hungry, my food just tastes yummy." So, anyway, I'd definitely tell the older daughters so they don't develop an issue once you go on a liquid diet. I'd play the little one by ear. Congrats on making this decision. It's going to completely change your life. ~Cheri

I'm a military spouse and when I had my surgery my husband was gone two weeks of every month and worked 14-16 hour days the other two weeks. I had almost no help around the house and I had two and a half year old twins whose supertwin power was the power of destruction. I'm not joking - they were incredibly talented at destroying things, picking locks and wrecking havoc in two minute increments. The baby might make things tricky, because no way could I have bent over a crib to pick up a child. However, I had no lifting restrictions placed on me so I wouldn't have worried about this. Yes, I was pretty tired for about a week or so post op and wore out easily for the first month as I adjusted to the much lower caloric intake. But I do not think it's totally impossible to do this by yourself. I'd try to get a friend or family member to help for the first week post op, two if they can swing it or if you can get two people to help for one week back to back. Other than that, you should be absolutely fine. And honestly? Having my surgery was so worth it that I would have done it even if I knew I'd have a terrible, horrible, unbelievably difficult time post op. Why? Because whats two or three weeks of hardship vs. a lifetime of being obese and unhappy about it? Do it. The rest will work itself out. ~Cheri

There were a million reasons and almost every person here understands them all. Why not reclaim your life now, instead of waiting? I know that nearly every person here regrets the SAME thing after surgery - they regret that they didn't do it sooner. Yes, other people treat me differently now but I think that at least half of that is because I treat myself differently. I am honestly a totally different person than I allowed myself to be prior to losing the weight. I completely envy the women that manage to be large and happy and have beautiful, vibrant personalities before surgery. Because I, for one, was NEVER nice to myself, NEVER felt beautiful and ALWAYS tried to be quiet and inconspicuous around other people in compensation for my size. I didn't truly blossom into who I am today until I felt better about myself and that started with the weight loss. So, regardless of your reasons, DO IT. Book your appointment and do this for yourself. I promise that you'll be amazed at the person you find underneath the extra weight. ~Cheri

I agree that you can try to do it in stages. Soda is delicious but it's also absolutely horrible for you. I drink it in moderation nowadays but gave it up for a while preop and couldn't tolerate it for a while post op. Switch to something else that works for you. I never really cared for Water but now it's the only thing that quenches my thirst. I use those MIO drops and just two or three of them in a 16 oz. glass is enough for me. I hope you find a solution, and congrats to you for trying to break this habit prior to surgery. ~Cheri

Once you're totally healed and eating fairly normal (I'd guess somewhere between 9-15 months) your sleeve is as big as it's going to get. It would take actual EFFORT on the part of the sleever to stretch the sleeve out - not just, "I'm going to eat a cookie or a piece of pie today" but "I'm going to overeat to the point of sickness and pain every single day until I have a larger capacity." Even then, there's only so much stretch to the sleeve so you're not ever going to eat half a pizza again. I am nearly two years out and my capacity is finally to a very comfortable point. I can eat one scrambled egg and one piece of turkey sausage or one slice of thin crust pizza or a half cup of Soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich. I still cannot eat much at one sitting and I still find myself needing to track my food. Not so much because I fear I've eaten more than the 1,200-1,400 calories per day I aim for, but rather because I'm often short by several hundred calories. Even eating a cookie when I want or indulging in a piece of chocolate each day doesn't push my calories over my personal limits. So yes, the sleeve is JUST as effective more than one year out. I can only imagine that how I feel today (at 21 months out) is how I'm going to feel in two, or even three years. There really isn't a honeymoon phase with this surgery, though weight does drop off more quickly in the beginning. There is absolutely no reason that I couldn't work hard and lose another ten pounds over the next two or three months if I chose to do so - my sleeve still works just fine and the math of calories in vs. calories burned is the same regardless of how long ago I opted for surgery. Weight just comes off much more slowly the closer you are to your ideal body weight. Hope this helps. ~Cheri

You've done a great job and deserve to be proud of not only losing the weight but maintaining the loss! I, personally, find maintenance very easy but I know that for a lot of people it's challenging. Congrats to you! Your hard work has obviously paid off. ~Cheri

Just wait until mushies when you're totally frustrated that you can't eat more than three bites of scrambled egg! It's completely normal and will pass. And it's good that you're already cognizant of the fact that not feeling full is not the same thing as feeling hungry - it's going to help you in the long run as you aim to stay on track once you have an appetite again. Congrats on your new sleeve! ~Cheri

I finally went back and browsed a few of the recent posts by other gals and oh my gosh! You ladies all look fabulous! I'm in love with the little blue dress and think you gals that bared your arms look WONDERFUL (and oh so brave, because I still have a serious hate for my arms) in your pretty dresses! We all deserve some pats on the back for our success, don't we? We look awesome, after all. ~Cheri

How about a little black shirt-and-skirt ensemble? I went a little retro to a dinner the other night and got a lot of compliments, thought I'd share. ~Cheri And with the hubs...

I was on antidepressants several years ago and yes, changes in appetite are fairly normal. I also flip flopped and went from being an insomniac to having trouble waking up. They switched me from one drug to another and the side effects changed. I was able to eat and able to wake up but had no sex drive. Sometimes you can't win for losing! In any case, give the drug a few months to see how it's working in the long run. If it causes a long term issue talk to your doc about a different option. I had the easiest time when I was on Lexapro and it definitely helped me through a very bad patch (with regular counseling sessions, too). ~Cheri

Thanks for posting this. I just had labs done for a separate issue and came back low on all the same things. They're starting me on the B12 shots, too. I was worried but hear they'll help me with my forgetfulness and the fact that I always feel tired. Here's hoping! ~Cheri

I'm nearly two years out and I actually gain a few pounds every month the week before my cycle. I always gasp in shock the morning I hit the scale and see the gain. Then I think about what time of month it is and shrug it off. It always drops right back off once I'm done. ~Cheri

Yep, no regrets. I wish I could take every one of my overweight friends and family members to have the surgery, too!

I noticed a few July folks posting on other threads and thought there might be enough of us to start our own thread (rather than hijacking whatever threads we find with a July surgery in them) - so I invite anyone with a July surgery to post their story here so we can support each other and share our experiences. I'm C and my surgery is scheduled with Dr. Aceves on 15 July. I'm 29 and married to an Army man - we're currently stationed in Germany. We have two year old boy/girl twins. I'm choosing to self-pay because Tricare does not currently cover VSG and none of the overseas military facilities do the procedure at this time. To complicate matters, our next assignment is (as of right now) in Yerevan, Armenia. Getting this surgery in a remote location like Armenia isn't even a possibility. I'm not willing to wait more than two more years for this surgery. I started my research in the summer of 2008 when my doctor diagnosed me with Type II (I developed gestational diabetes with my twin pregnancy and it stuck around afterward) and suggested the band. After much research I decided the sleeve best suits my needs. I'm 5'1" (and some change), 240 pounds and I would be happy with any weight under 160 pounds. I haven't weighed less than that in more than ten years and I have been plus-sized since high school. Please, hop in and share your own stories so I can share this journey with others instead of doing it alone! If I am successful my mom would like to have the surgery, too, but she's very nervous because she has never had surgery before. ~C

I was sleeved July 15, 2010. My highest ever weight was somewhere around 280 but when I had surgery I was 242 pounds. My weight is usually between 134-138 and I'm fairly happy there. I'm currently experiencing some other issues so I'm concerned about putting on more weight but I think if I stay on top of it I'll be able to control things. I started in a very snug 18/20, XXL and I'm in a 4/6, S (sometimes XS, sometimes M, so it's all relative) so I cannot possibly complain. I had really hoped to lose just a little more weight with surgery, despite the fact that somewhere in the 150s I started to realize that it wasn't going to happen very easily. I'm very short and really should lose a few more pounds to be safely in the "normal" weight range. Right now I'm on the edge of overweight. That said, I know I'm having plastics when I get back to the states and I know my weight will be right where I want it once those are done. I'm sure that if I really buckled down and put on my patience cap I could lose the weight before then, but I'm worried about looking too thin and bony after plastics if I do that. Honestly - I really am very small under all this extra skin and if bones poke up all over the place now I can't imagine I'd be very happy fifteen to twenty pounds smaller. Not to mention my poor husband, who was disappointed I chose to get so small in the first place! I think the biggest surprise for me was how EASY this all has been. I hate to say the sleeve is a magical solution, because it's really not. But once I got a handle on my food issues and worked them out it became almost effortless for me to lose and maintenance has really been an absolute breeze. I feel like if more people doing VSG would do all the head work while losing, they'd have a much easier time maintaining. Learning to eat like a regular person was a challenge and yes, sometimes I do have to stay on my toes so it won't get out of control. But I'm so glad I got it all figured out and don't have to weigh daily or track my calories every day. I weigh in once a week and only hop on the scale every day if I notice an upward trend (like currently, with my hormone issues). I log my food about four days in a row each month just to be sure I'm still in the right range. It works for me. I'm very happy these days and a totally different woman than I was just 20.5 months ago. I would do it again in a heartbeat and I don't think I'll ever really regret choosing surgery. I'm glad all of the other 2010 sleevers are also doing so well! There aren't many of us around here. It's easy for me to disappear for weeks on end because yes, once you stop needing support it's easy to forget to come back here to help the new folks. You guys all look fantastic, by the way. ~Cheri

Thanks for the input, ladies. After taking the time to actually look into it, yes, perimenopause sounds like the answer. I'll still try to get some tests run, and maybe going back on birth control will help. I'd previously used Nuva Ring to control my endometriosis but it's not available in my remote location (they only do a couple different kinds of pill here) and I only brought so many with me. I guess I might need to get tested to confirm and then start back up on some form of pill. Ugh. I'm wondering if that's why symptoms hit me all of a sudden, too - I just finished up my last Nuva Ring before all the weirdness started. I wonder if I was controlling the symptoms without realizing it. ~Cheri

I read. Therapy is great and all...but honestly, I avoid it. I don't need a medical file or a mental health flag keeping me from jobs in certain locations! I read a great book about emotional overeating called "Hungry: Lessons Learned on the Journey from Fat to Thin" by Allen Zadoff. It's short and simple but it really made me think. Honestly, it's the first thing I read that made me realize I was an overeater and that I used food as an emotional refuge. I wouldn't say he's anti-surgery, he just found a way to control his eating habits without it - but he does touch on the other aspects of our journey. You could also check out books by Geneen Roth but she kind of annoys me, though her books have helped a lot of people. I enjoyed "Promiscuous Eating" by Andrew Siegel, but it might not be exactly what you want because it does read in some places like a diet book. I did find his writing on the reasons behind overeating really interesting. Most important is that you're finally realizing that you've used food as a coping mechanism. Sometimes being aware of something is enough for us to start to change. You are most definitely NOT alone. Every single person on this board has food issues of one sort or another, or we wouldn't be overweight in the first place. Very, very few people can honestly blame genetics or health for 100% of their weight problem. Recognizing this is the first step - now you can make a plan to attack the issue. I always start with knowledge and think my way through. I'll always have that urge to do the things I used to do (binge, overeat, whatever) but knowing why I'm feeling the way I do has helped me overcome the majority of those problems. Whatever you decide, I hope you find something that works well for you. ~Cheri

I could just be the healing process but here are a few things you can consider: 1) I couldn't tolerate plain Water. Some days it still bothers me and I'm nearly 2 years out! 2) Make sure you're not dehydrated. 3) Is it your Protein shake? How about dairy? I became lactose intolerant post op and it started with nausea after a shake and finally became all day nausea and intestinal distress after a few months. Once I figured out it was the dairy the issue was resolved (no dairy...now that I'm farther out I can tolerate small amounts again). 4) Have you had a marked increase in your consumption of artificial sweeteners? If you switched to low carb everything post op, you might be getting too many of these and they sometimes cause funny side effects like nausea, trouble sleeping, intestinal distress, etc. 5) Believe it or not, sometimes acid reflux isn't just a burning/heartburn feeling - nausea isn't uncommon. So make sure your PPI is up to the task of controlling your acid. I started out on Nexium but it wasn't doing the trick after about a month so I switched until I was finally happy on Prilosec. 6) Finally, I can't begin to say why but warm liquids always treated me better early on. Even after healing when spasms from the cold drinks weren't a concern. Nowadays I still prefer very cold or hot beverages over something room temperature, and it seems to settle better that way, too. I hope you figure it out! ~Cheri

I just wanted to point out that as of last week, VSG still wasn't covered by Tricare. However, with the new provider contracts being awarded we have it just might be covered in the very near future. Here's hoping! That said, many MTFs do the procedure. Do not confuse this with Tricare covering the procedure - they're two different things! Frequently people get excited that Tricare now covers this because they had it done at their MTF but it is not the same thing at all; many MTFs provide services not normally covered under Tricare. I'm an active duty spouse and had to self-pay because they would only cover bypass, band or the old stapling procedure. So, for folks that live very close to a MTF that does the sleeve or that live in a region under a provider that already covers the sleeve (United Healthcare, West region), I hear it's not that difficult to get done. If you're remote, it's far more difficult. I know several women that were told it was covered and were referred off post only to have it denied prior to surgery. Two of them then went through the appeals process and ultimately lost their appeals. If you're remote, it's NOT easy to get it through the system, though that might change. Somewhere around this forum is a list of MTFs that offer bariatric surgeries and if any of them are near you, I'm sure you're odds of getting it done without self-paying are far better. The first step is always to make an appointment with your PCM and go from there! And please, come back and update with your results (if you're getting it done, if Tricare is paying or if it's through the MTF and which MTF is doing treatment) because many people under Tricare are trying to get the sleeve done and the more info we have out here the more help for everyone. ~Cheri

I am so thankful I'm not the only one with this issue! Isn't this a royal pain? I seriously never realized how much that extra bit of fat added to the comfort level. I have no real suggestions for you as I'm dealing with the same thing. I just try to vary things up a bit so my bruises are never in the same place two days in a row. And I'm completely embarrassed to admit this, but I've also noticed I seem to have, well, LESS room, if that makes any sense. Things that used to be a-okay are no longer quite so comfortable. I had no idea that every part of my body would change with the weight loss, honestly! If anyone finds a solution I'd love to hear about it. ~Cheri

Yup, in the early days when you can't get much in splurge on the higher calorie, higher carb Protein shakes and mix them with milk or soy milk to up the calories even more. I recommend the Syntha-6 shakes for this - they're incredibly tasty but too high cal (and low protein) for me to drink daily. Also add two scoops (or 1.5) to about 12 oz. liquid to boost those calories and protein counts even more. ~Cheri